Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

42 players are at MLB Spring Training 

31 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE at MLB Spring Training, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 
11 players are MLB Spring Training NON-ROSTER INVITEES (NRI) 

Last updated 3-17-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 17
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
Daniel Palencia
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

NRI PITCHERS: 5 
Colten Brewer 
Carl Edwards Jr 
* Edwin Escobar 
* Richard Lovelady 
* Thomas Pannone 

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

NRI CATCHERS: 2  
Jorge Alfaro 
Joe Hudson 

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

NRI INFIELDERS: 3 
David Bote 
Garrett Cooper
* Dominic Smith

OUTFIELDERS: 5
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

NRI OUTFIELDERS: 1 
* David Peralta

OPTIONED:
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, RHP 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, RHP 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

 



Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Thursday Funnies: No way to sugarcoat it.

One of the reasons I like Jeff Samardzija and this whole new Cubs regime is... they generally don't beat around the bush.
Call it "transparency".
Being blunt.
I mean, sure - what else is Samardzija gonna say?
It wasn't the ump or anything.
Still, getting up in front of all those reporters and saying what's in the gif is the right way to do this stuff.
Now, lets hope he figures out what's gone wacky in his delivery or whatever and get back to that guy who shut down the Cardinals for 8 innings back in June.

Comments

"The Boston Red Sox do not view themselves as "desperate enough" to pay the steep price for Chicago Cubs right-hander Matt Garza, sources have told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News." [ ] "Garza still has plenty of deep-pocketed suitors, even with the Red Sox out of the running. The Rangers, Indians, Pirates, Blue Jays, Padres, Dodgers, and Nationals are all believed to be interested in the right-hander, so Boston stepping out of the sweepstakes should not have much of an effect on his potential return." http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2013/7/11/4514220/mlb-trade-rumors-red-sox-…

Keith Law chat:http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/48451 BassmanUW (Chicago)
Was the Javier Baez call up too soon? Sure, he showed a lot better walk and strikeout rates in June, but it was just one month, and aside from one amazing game it's not like he put it all together consistently. I get the idea of getting him out of Daytona before the inconsistent and often wet weather of the late summer there, but I still would have liked to see at least another month of continued good performance at High A before a call up.
Klaw
  (1:07 PM)

I agree with you. By the way, great FO exec quote on hearing that Baez homered in his first AA at bat: "Did they not get the scouting report?"

------

Ralph (Utica)

Worst MLB stat ever, the pitcher's W or the pitcher's S?

Klaw
  (1:10 PM)

The save is the worst because it has altered how managers manage, and it's a complete negative----

Thoughts on the Cubs International FA strategy of signing everyone and accepting penalties next year?

Klaw
  (1:15 PM)

Given the uncertainty in that market, and the long time to payoffs on even the best signings, the strategy has good logic behind it.

-----

 

Is Junior Lake a guy? or just a potential utl player?

Klaw
  (1:29 PM)

A potential utility player should be able to play a couple of positions. I have seen no evidence that he can play any of them.


----

Was it true that Puig probably would have signed with the Cubs if he didn't with the Dodgers? Thank you.

Klaw
  (2:04 PM)

No one else offered more than $10 million, which shows you something about how little the industry trusted what they saw at the time - out of shape, no game action, questions about makeup, etc.

--------

Colin (Chicago)


Think the Cubs will get a top 100 guy or two when they eventually deal Garza?

Klaw
  (2:04 PM)

I'll guess one, but no way on two.

-----

Are you down on Baez as a prospect or did you just want him to demonstrate his improved approach prior to promotion? In his defense, although his BB rate only improved for one month his K rate had been great for 2. Really only ugly in April.

Klaw
  (2:06 PM)

Not down on him at all.

---

Have you seen Shawon Dunston Jr play yet? He's doing great in Boise and seems to have heard about this thing called the strikezone before, he must have gotten that from his mother's side.

Klaw
  (2:11 PM)

Always liked him, thought he needed to get stronger. Huge year for him though - they're so loaded in the lower levels with bats and he's no longer young for where he's playing.

---

What about Gretzky? Seems like he is a bust.

Klaw
  (2:13 PM)

Was not a fan of that signing. He looked like a college guy to me, not a pro prospect.

---



You previously mentioned about Kris Bryant's lack of bat speed. How concerned should Cubs' Fans be about how that weakness may eventually be exploited on the major league level? Thank you.

Klaw
  (2:20 PM)

Way too early to worry about that.

----

Maybe Javier Baez can lend Kris Bryant some of his bat speed.

Klaw
  (2:24 PM)

Bryant can just pick it up after Baez knocks himself over during a swing.

...then there's this guy... "Scott Baker (elbow) will begin a minor league rehab assignment Sunday with Low-A Kane County."

24th round pick C Tyler Alamo signs for $100K, no hit on the draft salary cap.

That means they can go up to $440,925 on Clifton which would be just a little less than 3rd round money.

i.stewart 2/2 with a walk into the 5th vs iowa... ...wtf? 6/15 with 2 doubles, 1 HR, 3bb since joining dodgers AAA... ...wtf? hurrah for sample sizes and twitter accounts.

A. Cabrera does it again

7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 K, 1 BB, 1 HR and the win

2 or less runs in his last 6 starts and 8 of his last 10

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

i dunno what's keeping him or z.rosscup from being in AAA...both are far "done" with AA and iowa is full of pitching failure that wouldn't be missed. nick struck is begging to be sent back to AA...he may have earned his promotion to AAA being the organization's pitcher of the year last year, but he's yet to string together good back-to-back games in AAA after 17 starts and he's still young enough that a trip back to AA wouldn't exactly be a big deal.

3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 K for Paniagua for AZL Cubs yesterday. Woot. And a question for someone in the know: I see Yasiel Balaguert is now hitting cleanup for the AZL Cubs, this after being Northwest League player of the week on July 1, when he was with Boise. What's up?

Carrie Muskat‏@CarrieMuskat #Cubs will introduce 1st round pick Kris Bryant at Wrigley & he'll take BP. Comcast SportsNet will have live stream, 11 am CT

Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet 11. Albert Almora, of, Cubs Team: low Class A Kane County (Midwest) Age: 19 Why He’s Here: .526/.550/.895 (10-for-19), 6 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1-for-1 SB The Scoop: Almora collects hits in bunches. In 17 of the 40 games he’s played this year (he missed time with a hamate injury), Almora has had two or more hits. He already has eight games of three or more hits. Almora’s best fit in the future Cubs lineup is as a top-of-the-order table setter, and in the Midwest League this season, few have done that job nearly as well as Almora. http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/prospect-hot-sheet-george-springe…

@jimcallisBA: #Cubs sign 19th-rder Will Remillard for $150k. Coastal Carolina C helped his cause with a strong Cape Cod Lg performance. #mlbdraft

adds $50k against their cap, a little less than $400k now leftover for Clifton

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

Seems like a damn good draft so far. Pretty happy with the international spending spree if they do make the Jimenez deal official too. I'm thinking that this offseason might mark the first overt move towards competing, especially after they shot their 2013 wad on the international market.

Presuming they're done, Cubs went over by $511,900 and will pay a 75% tax on that amount ($383,925 into Bud's pockets). They still had $15,925 to spend before reaching the next level of penalty that would have cost them a draft pick.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

For anyone who might be wondering where the Rule 4 Draft & ISBP tax money goes, it is distributed as revenue sharing funds to the clubs that qualify to receive revenue sharing.

However, if a club eligible to receive revenue sharing exceeds its assigned Rule 4 Draft bonus pool or ISBP, it is prohibited from receiving its share of the tax, and that club's share of the tax is redistributed among the clubs that qualify to receive revenue sharing that did not exceed their bonus limits.

I see the Cubs have signed 24 draft picks this year, including their first 13 and 19 of top 20. Anyone know typical or atypical that is? Is this about how many guys they usually sign? Did they get more high-draft picks signed than usual or not?

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

Sorry I can't get the link at the moment, but if you go to Wiklifield and look for Cubs drafts, I usually summarized the signings. But, I didn't do last year at all and that's when the rules changed significantly. So what may have been typical from 2002-2010, may be quite different now.

BR probably does something similar.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

The last time the Cubs signed as few as 24 draft picks was 1997.

Cubs Draft picks signed since 1998:

1998: 25 (13 out of first 14)
1999: 28 (19 out of first 20)
2000: 27 (first 15)
2001: 25 (23 out of first 25)
2002: 30 (22 out of first 23)
2003: 25 (10 out of first 11)
2004: 26 (10 out of first 11)
2005: 32 (first 14)
2006: 31 (first 13)
2007: 33 (23 out of first 24)
2008: 32 (26 out of first 27)
2009: 29 (13 out of first 14)
2010: 29 (15 out of first 16)
2011: 35 (20 out of first 22)
2012: 27 (first 20)   

 

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

Because they are college seniors with no eligibility left, the Cubs will retain negotiation rights to 21st round pick RHP Josh McCauley (Shepherd U.) and 27th round pick 2B Tyler Sciacca (Villanova) until one week prior to the next Rule 4 Draft (First-Year Player Draft) or until the player signs (whichever comes first).

Sciacca and McCauley were reported as "signed" by some blog, but the Cubs never announced their signings. It's possible that one or both did sign and then had their contract voided for some reason (as happened with 14th round pick RHP Daniel Poncedeleon).

[ ]

In reply to by Arizona Phil

In addition to the players who were signed after being selected in the 2013 Rule 4 Draft (First-Year Player Draft), the Cubs have also signed two Rule 4 Draft-eligible Non-Drafted Free-Agents (NDFA), RHP Josh Davis (Belmont U.) and SS Trevor Stevens (Northwestern).

Both Davis and Stevens were college seniors, and both have been assigned to the AZL Cubs. (I actually saw Davis make his pro debut the other night at HoHoKam Park).

Most NDFA who sign are college seniors, but occasionally a HS or JC NDFA will sign. For example, NDFA 3B Jesse Hodges signed with the Cubs last September after starring for the Canadian Junior National Team in a tournament in South Korea. 

Am I the only one hoping that the Cubs 18th round draft pick ends up having a long MLB career at SS? I mean with a name like Giuseppe Papaccio . . .

E-Man quote: "Josh Vitters is a bust." Tim Wilken, I am sure glad you have no more authority to make draft calls for the Cubs.

Buster Olney ‏@Buster_ESPN With 18 days to go before the trade deadline, other teams say the Cubs' asking price for Matt Garza remains very high.

as a Cub...

5.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 2 H

Pedro "Stop"...amirite?

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

He's got some good looking stuff, actually. I was surprised when I first saw him throw because I had never seen him and nobody seemed too excited about him.

Castro is 6-for-13 in his last four games with two home runs. Manager Dale Sveum and the hitting coaches have gotten Castro to get his weight shift on his back leg again. “It is just a matter of him lifting his leg, but not really loading on their back side,” Sveum said. “If (his) knee never gets over their back toes, your hands end up in front of your back foot and you end up in a very weak (hitting) position.” http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/18466/starlin-castro-bac…

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

Neat. I guess I better not buy that firedalesveum.com domain, after all. EDIT: Actually, I think I read Sveum mention this before. But Castro wouldn't listen, which Sveum was finding frustrating, if I remember the stories correctly. I guess the season long flirtation with the mendoza line has turned around Castro's thinking.

The Cubs say they will open up the post-all-star break portion of the season with Jeff Samardzija, Carlos Villanueva and Edwin Jackson starting the three games in Colorado. When the Cubs travel to Arizona after that, Matt Garza and Travis Wood will start the first two games, respectively.

please don't get hurt today Garza

"Face of the franchise" and slap-hitting second baseman/jockey Jose Altuve gets 4-year extension.

So, where is Iowa Cubs outfielder Brett Jackson? The question continued to swirl around Prinicpal Park as Iowa was in the midst of a four-game series with the Albuquerque Isotopes. The 24-year-old Cubs propsect landed on the disabled list late last month but has been missing from the Iowa clubhouse since. Jackson, who was placed on the disabled list with a right calf strain on June 22, is no longer listed on the Iowa team roster. Iowa manager Marty Pevey wouldn’t shed any light on Jackson’s whereabouts. “He’s not here,” Pevey said. http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2013/07/12/where-is-io… Well, he did say he was learning a lot from Ian Stewart...

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

year isn't even 1/2 over and they've already pissed off 2 players (clevenger/stewart) and they're working on a 3rd...neat. that said, jackson shouldn't be that upset...he's far from doing anything well in AAA this year. he turns 25 in a few weeks...not where he should be or was expected to be at this point in his career. it's kinda odd that clevenger was pissed about not playing when he claimed his injury wasn't bad enough to be on the DL and the cubs were posturing...only to still not be playing once he was traded to BAL. who knows wtf is/was going on there...

Under the premise that the Cubs mgt wants to collect em all regarding 4th-5th outfielders.... Per mlbtr, Cubs claim 29yo of Cole Gillespie from Giants

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

Org depth. Unlikely to ever hit major-league pitching for a respectable average, despite good batting eye, and not enough range to adequately play CF (according to limited UZR/150 data). Certainly below Sappelt on the org chart and likely to soon be passed by Lake and Ha.

WAS vs MIA...thanks Fox. hey, at least it's not the usual 99.9% of the time NYY/BOS/NYM/ATL east coast game, i guess. thanks to blackouts i rarely get to see WAS play as it is...even though 0 WAS games are shown on even the most costly cable sports package tiers here in central NC.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

MLB has this great method for preventing people from watching and rooting for their local teams. I don't have any television service, just MLB.tv...which means I can watch everyone but the Mariners here in Seattle. Oh, except whenever FOX or ESPN decides to black out every game. Genius.

[ ]

In reply to by The Joe

i was in hawaii last week...given the 6 hour time difference from the east coast, watching games there is almost impossible. ...the fact they blackout pretty much every west coast game (3 hour time difference) is practically insane. it used to be just the bay area games (SF/OAK), but now it's pretty much every game on the west coast. crazy.

STL seems to have caught a bad case of cubbery in the bottom 2nd...errors, passed ball, catcher's interference, bunt single to the pitcher...awesome. 3 runs as a result of that mess.

garza HBP...let those that were afraid to let garza pitch more than 80 pitches in a game, cross the street without the aid of a boy scout, or open a soda without adult supervision start freaking out.

Pittsburgh paper: Multiple sources said the Pirates are checking into White Sox outfielder Alex Rios and Cubs outfielder Nate Schierholtz...... ... It would be extremely difficult to pry Polanco from the Pirates, whose farm system lacks impact position players. However, (Nick)Kingham is an intriguing possibility for either Rios or Schierholtz, as the Pirates are rich with pitching depth. http://triblive.com/sports/pirates/4332756-74/locke-pirates-sunday#axzz…

Kyle Hendricks 5 shut out innings, shut out completed be Zych and Rosscup. Final 5-0

Awesome, fun game tonight. For those of you who were there, it was fun giving shit to the Cards fans for one night!

Tim Lincecum pitched his first career no-hitter Saturday. And I missed it because Crunch never mentioned it was happening. You let me down man. You let us all down.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Apparently he had/has vision issues which was treated. One of his tear-ducts does not produce fluid necessitating the multiple application of drops on a daily basis. He was diagnosed in April/May for this affliction, and it does coincide with the shitty slashes. I'm with you though and would move on.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

Not that it matters, other than as contrast, but I read an article about Miguel Cabrera where they mentioned that he can see the seems spinning on a good fastball as soon as it is released. As someone with bad eyesight who was a terrible, terrible hitter when I tried to play, I can see how good vision would be a big advantage. At my level, I didn't need to worry about seeing at such a precise level, but hitting a major league baseball is such a difficult skill to master that any vision related disadvantage has got to be very difficult to overcome. I've always wondered if that isn't Brett Jackson's problem - he looks so "good" up there in some ways.

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

Yeah, I've been happy too. The record is not great, but essentially they have an average ML team now! They are right in the middle of the pack with a handful of injuries, some youngsters struggling as they make adjustments, and some players (e.g. Jackson) who really did terrible for big parts of the first half. Not every move has worked, of course, but Wood, Valbuena, Villanueva, Feldman, Schierlholtz, Navarro, and even Sweeney all seem like nice moves. None were out of this world, but each move has been good value

"Scott Baker (elbow) was charged with four runs on six hits and a walk over three innings in his first rehab start with Low-A Kane County Sunday."

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

and Jake Arrieta had a nice outing at Iowa with 6 IP, 3H, 1BB, 9K, 1R (HR). 92 pitches. I-Cubs with 3 hits. Watkins double earlier and a Lake double (in the bottom of 6th). ...and JH Ha ties the game with a 2 out single that scores Lake from 3rd (after he stole third with one out). 1-1, end 6th...and Arrieta's day is over, Brooks Raley in to start the 7th.

HRod and the 99 mph outside the strike zone fastball gets DFA'd...to make room for Jazzman, Dizzy Gillespie

Name IP H R BB SO ERA Rob Zastryzny 2 2 0 1 2 0.00 Sam Wilson 2 2 0 0 3 0.00 Zack Godley 2 3 0 0 1 0.00 Scott Frazier 1 1 0 0 1 1.59 Boise ahead 1-0 thru the 7th. 2013 draft pick-pitchers off to a nice start

Jason Parks‏@ProfessorParks (Baseball Prospectus) Arismendy Alcantara just went upper deck big fly off Ranaudo. #Cubs second baseman of the future. He's a player. Jason Parks‏@ProfessorParks Sano's BP was insane, but Alcantara's was also legit, showing impressive bat speed and pop. #Cubs

poor busty olney...they sent him and a camera across the street and up to the rooftops to do a 15 second piece explaining the cubs vs rooftop owners thing. no interview, no anything...all that for a small 15 second piece.

d.barney 3r HR! cubs take a 3-4 lead in the 6th.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

...and m.guerrier blows it. tie game. p.strop threw 1 pitch tonight to get out of the 6th replacing t.wood with 2 outs...replaced by pinch hitter burbon in the bottom of the inning with 2 out, 0 on after the d.barney HR.

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

I'm sorry but Dale managed like a frickin' moron tonight. When has putting a closer in the game with a non-save situation been a good idea? When has putting a potential trade bait closer, who has average stuff and relies on situational adrenaline and who struggled recently and who we are trying to dump while he's a mirage and possibly dump *this weekend* ever been a good idea? I know it's not Dale's job to service the trade whims of the Front Office but I don't think he helped his long term job security tonight, hanging Gregg out to dry right before he is potentially traded. (Not to mention EPICALLY losing the game).

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

I'm willing to criticize Dale when it's warranted (e.g. bullpen usage, his public dressing-down of Castro, etc.) but faulting him for using one of his relievers because it's inopportune for the trade market is a bit of a reach. It's the job of Theo&Jed to maximize value for assets, not Dale's. Dale's job is to develop youngsters and win games and while you could argue that Gregg wasn't the best reliever in that situation because of how he's pitched of late, I don't think it's his job to figure out who to use based on how much value they're going to bring back. If there was concern Gregg was going to turn back into a pumpkin, then Theo&Jed should have traded him sooner.

[ ]

In reply to by Andrew

In saying it was a dumbass move in every way you touch on and I opened by saying it's not his responsibility to gauge trades. That said, he was the wrong pitcher for the inning, the situation, the game, the trade cycle, and he left him in too long for all if those. I really don't think the front office was thrilled he hung him out like that.

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

Everyone is way over-reacting. I find it funny that we, as fans, have been talking about how Gregg is a mirage and we should trade him soon for weeks on this website, yet we assume somehow that other pro-teams and their scouts and executives do NOT see Gregg as a mirage--until last night of course when the curtain was thrown back. Really? So teams were gullible enough to give up a prospect for Gregg until he has a bad outing and now they won't do it? Because other teams only look at box scores and notice extreme performances? This is naive. The reality is that Gregg could be a useful, but minor bullpen piece for a contender to fill in for an injury or give veteran depth where perhaps a couple of younger player are struggling. And that hasn't changed because of last night. He'll be a 7th inning reliever for a contender for two months and the Cubs will probably get a low-level player to be named later.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

I knew this was coming and you of course have a point. I didn't think they were gonna score a major coup, but I do think he could have sweetened a pot or drawn an organizational 10-20 pick. What I think you are discounting is that relievers ARE streaky by nature. They can be monsters one year and dogs the next of course. So a hot closer is a mirage but you can also ride that wave if you are lucky, or maybe a player did make a mechanical adjustment or gain some late career Eckersley maturity. Gregg's velocity is actually good and closing is about confidence and composure. Frankly Gregg has had it this year. I don't think I'm over reacting to say putting him in without a lead, out of his element, and letting him rack up an ERA increase of 1.00 the day before the All Star Break was a dumbass move. Yes the scouts and teams know more than we do, but he was in essence HOT and CONFIDENT. Now thanks to dale he's cold, iffy, and his numbers went up. It may make some difference in trade discussions.

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

As you say, relievers are streaky by nature. But other teams know that too. I would guess that many have been looking and thinking "Gregg has been hot for 6 weeks now, I don't want to buy high because he can't keep up this type of streak for ever and will come back to earth!" We all knew it wouldn't last.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

Quite possible. BUT with a hot pitcher with an ERA under 2.00 you at least have a chance. To quote j-roc from trailer park boys: knowmsayin'? How can swinging his dick out on the mound for 4 runs in a non save situation the day before they were gonna try and deal him be better than had he not?

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    SF snags b.snell...2/62m

  • Cubster (view)

    AZ Phil: THAT is an awesome report worth multiple thanks. I’m sure it will be worth reposting in an “I told you so” in about 2-3 years.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The actual deadline to select a post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agent signed to 2024 minor league contract (Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta) to the MLB 40-man roster is not MLB Opening Day, it is 12 PM (Eastern) this coming Sunday (3/24). 

    However, the Cubs could notify the player prior to the deadline that the player is not going to get added to the 40 on Sunday, which would allow the player to opt out early. Otherwise the player can opt out anytime after the Sunday deadline (if he was not added to the 40 by that time). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Today is an off day for both the Cubs MLB players and the Cubs minor league players.  

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    For those of you keeping track, so far nine players have been called up to Mesa from the Cubs Dominican Academy for Minor League Camp and they will be playing in the ACL in 2024: 

    * bats or throws left 

    Angel Cepeda, INF 
    * Miguel Cruz, P
    Yidel Diaz, C 
    * Albert Gutierrez, 1B
    Fraiman Marte, P  
    Francis Reynoso, P (ex-1B) 
    Derniche Valdez, INF 
    Edward Vargas, OF 
    Jeral Vizcaino, P 

    And once again, despite what you might read at Baseball Reference and at milb.com, Albert Gutierrez is absolutely positively a left-handed hitter (only), NOT a right-handed hitter.

    Probably not too surprisingly, D. Valdez was the Cubs #1 prospect in the DSL last season, Cepeda was the DSL Cubs best all-around SS prospect not named Derniche Valdez, Gutierrez was the DSL Cubs top power hitting prospect not named Derniche Valdez, E. Vargas was the DSL Cubs top outfield prospect (and Cepeda and E. Vargas were also the DSL Cubs top two hitting prospects), Y. Diaz was the DSL Cubs top catching prospect, and M. Cruz was the DSL Cubs top pitching prospect. 

    F. Marte (ex-STL) and J. Vizcaino (ex-MIL) are older pitchers (both are 22) who were signed by the Cubs after being released by other organizations and then had really good years working out of the bullpen for the Cubs in the DSL last season. 

    The elephant in the room is 21-year old Francis Reynoso, a big dude (6'5) who was a position player (1B) at the Cardinals Dominican Academy for a couple of years, then was released by STL in 2022, and then signed by the Cubs and converted to a RHP at the Cubs Dominican Academy (and he projects as a high-velo "high-leverage" RP in the states). He had a monster year for the DSL Cubs last season (his first year as a pitcher). 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    DJL: The only players who definitely have opt outs are Cooper, Edwards, and Peralta (Opening Day, 5/1, and 6/1), and that's because they are post-2023 Article XX-B MLB free agents who signed 2024 minor league contracts and (by rule) they get those opt outs automatically. 

    Otherwise, any player signed to a 2024 minor league contract - MIGHT or - MIGHT NOT - have an opt out in their contract, but it is an individual thing, and if there are contractual opt outs the opt out(s) might not necessarily be Opening Day. It could be 5/1, or 6/1, or 7/1 (TBD).

    Because of their extensive pro experience, the players who most-likely have contractual opt outs are Alfaro, Escobar, and D. Smith, but (again), not necessarily Opening Day. 

    Also, just because a player has the right to opt out doesn't mean he will. 

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    I love the idea that Madrigal heads to Iowa in case Morel can’t handle third.

    The one point that intrigues me here is Cooper over Smith. I feel like the Cubs really like Smith and don’t want to lose him. Could be wrong. He def seems like an opt out if he misses the opening day roster

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Childersb3: Both Madrigal and Wisdom can be optioned without any restriction. Their consent is not required. 

    They both can be outrighted without restriction, too (presuming the player is not claimed off waivers), but if outrighted they can choose to elect free agency (immediately, or deferred until after the end of the MLB season).

    If the player is outrighted and elects free-agency immediately he forfeits what remains of his salary.

    If he accepts the assignment and defers free agency until after the conclusion of the season, he continues to get his salary, and he could be added back to the 40 anytime prior to becoming a free-agent (club option). 

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil, 
    Madrigal and Wisdom can or cannot refuse being optioned to the Minors?
    If they can refuse it, wouldn't they elect to leave the Cubs org?

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    In my opinion, the biggest "affirmative" mistake the Cubs made in the off-season (that is, doing something they should not have done), was blowing $9M in 2024 AAV on Hector Neris. What the Cubs actually need is an alternate closer to be in the pen and available to close if Alzolay pitched the day before (David Robertson would have been perfect), because with his forearm issue last September, I would be VERY wary of over-using Alzolay. I'm not even sure I would pitch him two days in a row!  

    And of course what the Cubs REALLY need is a second TOR SP to pair with Justin Steele. That's where the Cubs are going to need to be willing to package prospects (like the Padres did to acquire Dylan Cease, the Orioles did to acquire Corbin Burnes, and the Dodgers did to acquire Tyler Glasnow). Obviously those ships have sailed, but I would say right now the Cubs need to look very hard at trying to acquire LHSP Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins (and maybe LHP A. J. Puk as well).